The healthcare network Centura Health and Walgreens on Tuesday announced a clinical collaboration agreement that will provide coordinated and expanded healthcare services for patients throughout Colorado’s Front Range.

An Albertsons store in Billings, Mont., is home to a retail clinic staffed by physician assistants and nurse practitioners who will treat patients for allergies, infections, bug bites, pain and other minor health problems, according to published reports.

L'Oréal Paris hosted its eighth annual Women of Worth celebration on Dec. 3 at The Pierre in New York City — an event that brought together an esteemed group of notable guests, company executives, business leaders, philanthropists and former honorees to recognize and celebrate the achievements of the 2013 Women of Worth honorees.

SSM Health Care–St. Louis and Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens will launch a collaboration in January 2014 that will improve access to care and increase care coordination for patients, the companies announced Thursday.

As cold and flu season kicks into high gear, the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition on Tuesday issued a nationwide safety message urging consumers to double-check their medicine labels so they don’t double-up on medicines that contain acetaminophen when treating winter illnesses.

In a new study, which was published in the November issue of Health Affairs, researchers looked at retail clinics and found that eliminating restrictions on nurse practitioners’ scope of practice could lead to lower healthcare costs.

Again, 2014 will be the year for clinics. Why? Because this is where the rubber meets the road and clinics are an important solution in healthcare reform.

Shedding more light on the important role that retail-based health clinics — and the nurse practitioners who work in them — play in the U.S. healthcare system, a new study suggests that eliminating restrictions on nurse practitioners' scope of practice could have a “large impact” on the cost-savings.

CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic and Baptist Health Care, the largest healthcare network in northwest Florida with a staff of more than 600 physicians, has entered into a clinical affiliation to enhance access to healthcare services in Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.

Nurse practitioners are increasingly playing a key role in helping patients stay on track in taking their medications as prescribed, with nearly half of NPs indicating that the time they spend on patient education has increased over the past two years, according to Manhattan Research’s “Taking the Pulse Nurses 2013” study.

Highlighting the important role that NPs play in today’s healthcare system is essential as millions of uninsured Americans come into the insurance fold in 2014 due to health reform amid a growing shortage of primary care physicians.

With physicians already in short supply and millions of uninsured Americans set to enter the healthcare system in 2014 as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes effect, nurses and physician assistants are stepping up to fill the gap and are increasingly taking a central role in helping patients stay on therapy, according to Manhattan Research's "Taking the Pulse Nurses 2013" study.

After failing to gain enough support in a California Assembly, a revised bill that allows nurse practitioners to operate independently only in a hospital, clinic or other group setting regained some of its momentum and advanced in the Assembly.

With the introduction of Senate Bill 941, as well as proposed legislation that is currently pending in several other states, it is clear that lawmakers are increasingly recognizing the vital role that nurse practitioners play. They are also realizing that expanding nurse practitioners’ scope of practice will only become increasingly important as millions of uninsured Americans come into the insurance fold come 2014 due to health reform amid a growing shortage of primary care physicians.

As demand for health care rises and the nationwide shortage of primary-care practitioners continues, the services of nurse practitioners will be integral in providing effective patient care. In recognition of this, the Chamberlain College of Nursing has launched a Master of Science in Nursing — Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track.

As an official sponsor of Pop Warner, MinuteClinic is offering Pop Warner registered youth athletes a discount on sports physicals.

The clinic operator, which is owned by CVS Caremark, has announced that it is offering an additional $5 off the current $49 price of a sports physical. Sports physicals for fall sports participation are required by July 31 for all Pop Warner programs.

The importance of convenient care clinics within the U.S. healthcare system, along with the nurse practitioners and physician assistants who work in them, rang loud and clear at the sixth annual Retail Clinician Education Congress held in May.

Beverly Malone, CEO for the National League for Nursing, is not only among the country’s most vocal leaders in the national conversation about the nurse educator shortage and the role of nursing in ensuring access to safe, quality and culturally competent care to diverse patient populations. She is also the 2013 winner of the Loretta Ford CARE Lifetime Achievement Award.

Poll

Poll

SPECIAL REPORTS

Are we in the midst of a beauty revolution? Perhaps. It is no secret that the ever-changing beauty category is all about trends, but one could argue that we are embarking on an especially interesting time in beauty as technology is changing the way consumers shop and new innovations strive to break through the noise.

In this beauty report, Drug Store News takes a deeper dive into some of the leading trends that are reshaping beauty.more ...

IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue, DSN examines PricewaterhouseCoopers' "Top Health Industry Issues for 2015;" takes you on a tour of Murad, shares beauty trends and insights and delves into location-based technology and how it is revolutionizing health, retail.Click here to view the issue.